I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to collating machines of the type which are operable as insertion machines, and particularly to methods and apparatus of monitoring the operation and performance of such machines.
II. Prior Art and Other Considerations
For several decades now collating machines have been utilized by commercial establishments for the preparation of printed matter for postal purposes. An early collating machine operated as an insertion machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,325,455 to A. H. Williams.
In conventional collating machines, a plurality of processing stations perform processing events with respect to groups of documents being conveyed on an insert track in timed relation to a machine cycle. In most such machines the first such processing station positioned along the insert track is generally a first or control insert station which comprises feeder means for feeding inserts or documents onto the insert track. The insert track is generally indexed relative to further document feeding stations at a rate approximating one station or one track location position per machine cycle.
The document(s) deposited on the insert track from the first insert station is associated with a particular customer and typically bears a control indicia, such as a bar code printed thereon, which, when read, indicates with reference to the particular customer which further insert stations are to be actuated to feed one or more documents. As a particular customer's indicia-bearing document is indexed along the insert track, each insert station has an opportunity to feed (subject to operator control input and in accordance with the read control indicia) whatever document(s) stored thereat are applicable to the particular customer for inclusion with a group of documents related to the particular customer.
After all applicable inserts for a particular customer have been associated together as a group on the insert track, the associated documents are placed in an appropriate packaging medium at a packaging station. For collating machines which serve as insertion machines the packaging station is an inserting or stuffing station whereat the associated documents are stuffed into an awaiting envelope. Further operations such as envelope sealing, envelope diverting, and/or zip code grouping occur yet downstream in accordance with some embodiments of insertion machines. In some collating machines a wrapper or the like is formed about or envelopes the associated documents at the packaging station.
Some more recent collating machines are operated at least to some degree in conjunction with a computer or data processing system. In such machines the data processing system makes various decision relating to processing events, including decisions regarding the selective feeding of documents from various stations. In machines such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,925 the data processing system even makes a determination relative to postal allocation for a group in accordance with a projected group weight which is calculated by the data processing system on the basis of the per document weights of documents stored at the feeding stations. Some document insertion machines have data processing systems wherein the central processing unit which manages the insertion machine also manages a display device such as cathode ray tubes whereupon textual indications of machine diagnostic information, such as machine jams, for example, are displayed.
Numerous collating machine operating parameters must be established prior to the processing of a job or batch. Some of the operating parameters have been established by manually setting certain mechanical switches; others of the operating parameters have been establishing by manually entering data related to the parameters into the data processing system through a plurality of electronic switches or keyboards. On some occasions human operators have overlooked the setting of one or more input parameters with the result that a portion of the batch or run may not be properly processed.
According to prior art practice, in order to prepare a collating machine to process a job or batch, an operator had to first provide (via both a system panel and a machine control panel) certain operating parameters indicative of which of the insert stations included in the particular collating machine configuration are to be turned OFF, which are to be turned ON; and, for some embodiments, which are in a SELECT mode. If an insert station were OFF, the insert station was not permitted to feed a document regardless of a customer's control indicia. If an insert station were ON, the insert station was required to feed a document regardless of a customer's control indicia. If an insert station were specified as being in a SELECT mode, the control indicia was used to determine whether the insert station was to feed.
The efficiency of an insertion machine depends upon several factors, including the machine cycle speed and the average number of documents per customer fed from the control station. In this respect, if the machine is operating at too fast a speed, for many customers feeder stations may not be able to feed and/or collect within a single machine cycle all the documents to be fed therefrom. For example, in an insertion machine which employs a burster with a collector, for a customer with many documents several machine cycles may be required before all the customer's documents are collected and ready for deposit on the insert track. As a result, several sections of the insert track are left empty during the delay. As another example, in an insertion machine which employs a fast feeder such (as a check feeder), for a customer with many documents the insert track will have to remain stationary for one or more machine cycles. In both cases the efficiency of the insertion machine is reduced. Thus, it would be helpful for an operator to know the average machine cycle speed, the average number of documents per customer being fed from a control station, and the relationship therebetween so that the machine cycle speed can be set at an optimum level.
In addition to the foregoing, it would be beneficial to provide a statistical report of other operations performed by an insertion machine. Accurate statistical reports would facilitate better stocking of hoppers associated with insert stations; would provide more detailed diagnostic information for maintenance and servicing purposes; and, would provide tangible records for management purposes of operator performance and machine production.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide an insertion machine and operating method therefor in which machine operations are monitored and a statistical report thereof is provided.
An advantage of the present invention is the provision of an insertion machine and operating method therefor which monitors its own operations and reports statistical data which is useful for operating the machine more efficiently.
Another advantage of the present invention is the provision of an insertion machine and operating method therefor which monitors its own operation and reports statistical data which is useful for diagnosing potential machine problems.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is the provision of an insertion machine and operating method therefor which monitors its operation and reports useful accounting information.
Still another advantage of the present invention is the provision of an insertion machine and operating method therefor which facilitates a systematic and orderly establishment of machine operating parameters.